The invention concerns a motor vehicle component consisting of a metal profile element, which component includes a lighting element and which preferably is mounted on the body or the roof of the motor vehicle.
Already known from patent documents DE 10 2011 080,578 A1, DE 10 2014 220,630 A1, and US 2013/0,135,880 A1 are motor vehicle components, as, for example, roof luggage carrier arrangements, that contain a light-emitting component, for example, a flexible fluorescent lamp or an optical waveguide. An optical waveguide is surrounded by a jacket in this context. Such lighting elements can achieve an illumination of designated areas of the motor vehicle or can achieve an additional decorative effect by radiating outward. Light-emitting elements in the form of optical waveguides are very sensitive to external influences. UV rays can lead to accelerated aging of the plastic jacket. Droplets of water on the optical waveguide are visible to the observer as dark spots. The smallest scratches, which are caused by, for example, the brushes of a carwash, are visible to the observer as bright spots on the optical waveguide, which represents an optical defect. Moreover, particles of dirt can also adversely affect the action of the light-emitting elements.